HMO Care

* Re HMO executive Sam Ho’s defense of the quality of HMO care (letter, March 9): There is no advantage to doing more mammograms when patients are then denied needed treatment for breast cancer upon the excuse that it is “experimental.” Two studies reporting outcomes that I am aware of make HMOs look awfully bad. A study by John E. Ware Jr., et al., in the Oct. 2, 1996, Journal of the American Medical Assn. showed that elderly HMO patients were twice as likely to suffer declining health as patients with conventional insurance. A study presented by Paul N. Casale at the American Heart Assn. meeting in November 1997 showed that HMO patients are twice as likely to die in-hospital from acute myocardial infarction than patients with conventional insurance.

Patients’ complaints about HMOs reflect an accurate sense that “something” is wrong. But they don’t realize just how wrong!

HARVEY S. FREY MD, Director

Health Administration

Responsibility Project

Santa Monica